John's Story
by madladypoet
Summary: During his final tour of Vietnam, John Winchester has a supernatural experience that foreshadows future events.
1. Chapter 1

_Vietnam, 1975_

_Camp_

John Winchester woke up to the smell of Napalm. Rolling over to the side of his cot, he gagged and dry heaved, but did not throw up. Considering the intense heat and humidity in Vietnam during the summer, John was grateful since the smell of vomit can last hours in the sweltering heat. Getting up, John stretched and walked over to the water latrine. Grabbing a cup, he scooped up some water and drank deeply. The cold water hit his stomach and he nearly doubled over with cramps. Putting his cup back in the water, John poured it over his head to wake himself up. Today, he had duty in the jungle and needed to be alert. No matter how he felt, he was not going to let his men down.

Walking over to his cot, he grabbed his machine gun and clothes and walked to showers. John walked as he always did with a purpose. Nodding to some of his fellow Marines, John planned to hit the showers, grab some chow and get his letters. Mail arrived in camp every day and usually about once a week; John got a letter from Mary. Marines always shared their letters from their wives and girlfriends. Bad news from home was put on the boards and guys who had been dumped were given the day off by their commanding officers. John lived in fear of the day he would receive his own "dear John" letter, but that had yet to happen. If Mary was going to dump him, he prayed that she would wait until he returned home. He could deal with it better if he was at home.

Shaking his head, John showered and got dressed. He was thinking like an idiot. Worrying about whether or not Mary would leave him wasn't going to keep him alive. He had to focus on the job at hand until he could get home.

"Mail call!" yelled a male voice.

John nearly dropped everything he was carrying to run toward the mess tent where they handed out mail. Other soldiers were also in dead run, hoping for news from home. Soldiers bombarded the officer in charge of mail and he nearly fell from so many outreached hands. Over the din, John did manage to hear the names being called out and packages being thrown around.

"Simon! Lawrence! Paine! Butler! Winchester!" John managed to get to the front of the line and grab a handful of letters to him. One was from his mother. Another was from his older sister. A third was from Mary. Stuffing the other letters in his pant pocket, John ripped open the letter from Mary and held his breath. What he read made his drop the letter. Mary was pregnant. According to her letter, she was at least six months along. She explained that she had waited to tell him until she was sure that she would not lose the baby in the fourth month as women sometimes did with their first pregnancies. She told him that she and the baby would wait for him to return from his tour of duty and that she loved him very much. She ended her letter by telling him that angels were always watching over him.

John walked around camp in a daze. He had left Kansas for his third tour of duty in Vietnam six months ago. The war was coming to a close and the Marines had asked John to come back to Vietnam to help US troops clear out of the country. John's company Echo 2-1 was flushing out the rest of the Viet Cong along the XXXX river. The mission was considered dangerous since the remaining Viet Cong troops were viciously attacking any American soldier or troop. John told Mary before he left that he was unsure of he would make it out alive, but she steadfastly refused to consider that John would die. They spent a week on vacation prior to John's deployment with most of that time spent in their hotel bedroom. John had always known that he would marry Mary, but he never intended for her to get pregnant when he was out of the country. He wanted to be there when his kids were born.

"Hey Winchester!" called out a voice. John turned to see his friend, Dean Winters, approaching him. Dean and John had joined the Marines at the same time in 1968 and John considered him one of his closest friends. Dean was about 2 inches shorter than John with a brushy flat top and green eyes. Dean was a true ladies man and often tried to get John into trouble. "Come on man," Dean would beg, "you're 3000 miles from home. Mary's never gonna find out." But John would never give in to temptation. Mary and his life with her was too important to screw it up for one night of pleasure. Still, John loved Dean like a brother. He and Dean planned to open a garage back in Kansas. At night, while lying awake listening for any signs of the Viet Cong, the two men would discuss their plans: wives, kids, cars and weekends watching football or hunting. Talking about the future helped them cope with the present.

"So what's up man?" quizzed Dean. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

John stopped walking and carefully folded Mary's letter in half. "Mary's pregnant."

Dean's mouth dropped open. "Seriously?" John nodded. "Are you sure its yours?"

John's face changed completely. Dean actually took a step back and held up his hands. "Look dude, I was just asking."

John just continued to glare at Dean and suddenly, he turned and walked off. Sometimes, thought John, Dean went too far. Hearing Dean's footsteps behind him, John stopped and turned.

Dean looked at John and spread his hands, "I'm sorry John." "I did not mean anything by it."

John sighed. "I know man." Dean looked at his friend with concern. "What are you going to do?"

John looked at Dean confused. "What do you mean?" "It's my kid and Mary's my wife."

Dean shook his head. "She's not yet and besides man, we may not make it out of here alive."

John walked over to Dean until they were face-to-face. "Don't say that and don't ever talk about Mary that way again."

With that, John walked away from Dean. He was shaking with anger. He was determined to live and now with a baby on the way, he had even more reason to fight his way home. He knew that Dean didn't mean it, but Dean lived his life too wildly to fight for anything beyond his own survival.

Walking toward the command center, John shouldered his gun and straightens his shirt. As a corporal, he had to keep himself together, especially in front of his commanding officer. Opening the door, John was hit by a blast of air conditioning. His commanding officer, Curtis Hathaway was a no-nonsense man who took his command very seriously. Rumors abounded throughout camp that Hathaway had taken down one of his men in the field when the soldier didn't perform up to task. John didn't know whether that was true, but he always kept his nose clean and made sure the men under his command did the same. Looking at Hathaway, John was eager to find out his orders and get out of there. Something about that man made him uncomfortable. John always considered himself a loyal man, but he had to admit to himself that he would not take a bullet for Hathaway. Hathaway peered over his glasses at John and blew out a puff of cigar smoke in John's direction.

"Winchester," said Hathaway chewing on his cigar, "I need you to take your unit to Xuan-loc."

The name made John's head snap up. He looked at Hathaway somewhat shocked. John considered himself to be a tough-ass, but even he was afraid to go into area of the province. 40 miles east of Saigon, Xuan-loc was the last stand against the North Vietnamese who had already taken over the northern half of the country. Rumors abounded throughout the camp that Xuan-loc was haunted. John knew men who went there and rarely returned alive. Those that did were usually sent home catatonic. John wanted to go home alive and sane for Mary and the baby. Going to Xuan-loc was not in his plans.

"Sir," John began. "I don't see why my men and I need to go there. We have lost this war. The best that we can do is decamp, go back to Saigon and head home."

Hathaway stared at John, and for a moment, John could have sworn that the man's eyes glowed yellow. "We need to make sure that area is secure before we return to Saigon."

"But sir," began John. But Hathaway cut him off with a flick of his wrist. "You will take your men into that area Winchester and you will make sure that area is secure. Is that understood?"

John sighed. He knew that he had no choice but to follow Hathaway's orders. "Yes, sir." replied John. He saluted Hathaway and turned to walk out the door. Reaching for the handle, John was stopped by a burning smell. It wasn't cigar smoke. Sulfur, perhaps? Figuring the stress of the last hour was playing tricks with his mind; John shook his head and opened the door. The heat blasted in on him and nearly drove him to the ground. John managed to stay on his feet and started moving. Today was going to be a long day.


	2. Chapter 2

_Xuan-loc_

_1:00 p.m._

John looked around the hills and countryside of Xuan-loc and realized that most Americans had it wrong about Vietnam. Letters John received from his mother, sister and even Mary were filled with all sorts of tips on how to survive in the jungle. John had to smile at how much the three women in his life wanted to keep him safe even three thousand miles away. Yet, they were wrong. Vietnam was not completely filled with jungles. There were mountains, flat plains and green farmland. Sometimes, John had to admit that certain parts of Vietnam reminded him of Kansas in the summer, but unfortunately, that was as far as the comparison went. Looking behind him, John could see his unit of 12 men trudging down the road next to endless fields of rice patties. The sight was almost beautiful, John thought, if they had not been in a war it would have been worth to send a picture home to Mary. And their baby.

John still couldn't believe that he was going to be a father. The thought excited him completely and made him more determined than ever to go home. He wanted a son. He knew that Mary would tell him it didn't matter as long as the baby was healthy, but he wanted to have a son. He couldn't wait to take his son fishing and hunting. He wanted to teach his son how to play baseball and what to do when you fall madly in love with a beautiful girl. No, John Winchester did not want a daughter. He wouldn't know what to do with a girl besides protect her from guys like Dean. He loved Dean as a brother, but if a guy like Dean ever came near his daughter, he would not make it out the front door with his legs intact.

"Hey Winchester!" called out Dean, breaking John's train of thought. Keeping his eyes on the straight line in front of him, John didn't turn around, but heard Dean run to catch up with him. Panting Dean caught up with John. Glancing sideways, John saw that Dean was trying to catch his breath and catch John's eye. Marching on, John refused to acknowledge Dean. He was still pissed about Dean's remarks concerning Mary and their baby. Dean, knowing his friend well enough, usually left John alone until he calmed down, but this time, Dean looked as though he had to say something now.

"Look man," said Dean. "I know you hate me right now, but you've got to listen."

"Yeah," said John who kept walking and did not look at his friend.

"We need to get back to Saigon." said Dean, sounding shaky, "Xuan-loc is not a place we need to be."

The worry in Dean's voice made John stop and look at his friend. Dean was someone with no fear. He was always the first to enter a dangerous scene and always protected his friends from the danger they might face. Dean's eyes looked around skittishly and he seemed, to John's surprise, scared by the area. Dean's reaction was enough to make John stop and look around himself. He saw nothing. The day was clear and beautiful. He looked back at Dean and shook his head.

"Dean," replied John. "I think the heat is getting to you." "There is nothing here."

John started moving again; that's when Dean grabbed his arm and forced John to turn around and look at him. Now the entire unit stopped and stared at both men. John felt his blood boil again and pulled his arm from Dean's grasp. It was one thing for Dean to put Mary and the baby down, but it was another thing entirely for Dean to undermine John in front of his own men. Standing toe to toe with his old friend, John chose his words carefully. He wanted his men to understand who was boss.

"Listen up, solider." spat John inches from Dean's face. "We are going to complete our mission." "Do you understand?"

Dean surprised by his friend's attack, could do nothing but nod. Looking around, John asked the same question to the rest of his men. "Do you all understand?" The men nodded and avoided looking at their commanding officer. John was a good guy and a great leader, but he was not a man to be crossed. John nodded to all of them.

"Let's move out!"


	3. Chapter 3

_2:00 p.m._

John and his unit reached the spot that Hathaway sent them too. This was the area that men in camp claimed were haunted. John looked around and saw nothing that screamed supernatural, yet he had an uneasy sensation that something was wrong. Looking at his men, he saw that they were equally uneasy. Despite being mostly farmland, Xuan-loc did have a small area of jungle. Hathaway told John there was a small group of Vietcong who were going to raid the camp from that location. Hathaway's orders were very specific. Go in and take them all down. Personally, that made John uneasy. Not taking out an enemy, but a raid that was pointless and could possibly endanger the life of his men. The war was over and although John was a man who hated to lose, he even had to admit that going home alive and defeated was better than not going home at all.

Still an order was an order and while John never liked Hathaway, John knew that his ticket home was following orders. Looking around, John felt his unease heighten, gripping his gun, John took off the safety and signaled to his men to do the same. Creeping forward, the men saw nothing, but their sense of unease began to grow. Looking around, John saw nothing that told him that the VietCong were in the area. In fact, he did not see any marks that showed that any human being had been in the area for some time. Christ, thought John, what the hell was going on here?

"John," said Dean quietly. "We need to get out of here." John turned and looked at Dean. He saw that Dean was still afraid, but slowly that fear became one of resolution. John knew that look well. Dean was going into battle mode. John tore his eyes from Dean and stared at the rest of his men; they all looked afraid. Every instinct in John's body told him to leave, yet he had his orders and John never walked away from a battle.

"Let's move forward" said John. From there, the men crept deeper into the jungle. John's entire body was tense, but nothing was happening. That made him uneasy. Of all the battles John had been involved in, they always started as a result of a trigger. Some movement in the jungle, the whisper of a bullet, the crack of a branch, but there was nothing.

John raised his hand and the unit stopped. Looking out of the corner of his eye, John saw that Dean had move up to John's right. Dean always took a flanking position to John's right, but this time he was not waiting for a signal from John. Instead he was looking around, Dean then looked at John and whispered, "Do you hear that?"

John cocked his head, but heard nothing. It was then that he realized that something was wrong. In the jungle, there was always noise from the sounds of animals to the rustle of trees, but there was no sound at all. At that moment, John realized that Dean was right. They needed to get out of there. Turning to his men, John began to speak when he saw her.

She was a small girl, perhaps around 7 or 8 years old. She was Vietnamese with large dark hair and big dark eyes. She was wearing a dirty dress and was staring at the men with a coldness that made John uneasy. Before he could react, Dean opened fire. John ran at Dean and knocked him down. Grabbing Dean, John screamed at him, "What are you, crazy?" "You never shoot at a child?"

"John," said James, one of the men in his unit, "look."

John got up and let go of Dean. Walking over to James, John stopped cold. The girl was gone. "What the hell!" shouted John in frustration. "John" shouted Dean. Spinning around, John saw the girl was standing on the other side of them. She had not been hit and her eyes were completely black. Behind her came a wave of black smoke. John began screaming at his men, "Run!"

The men scattered in every direction. John began running out of the jungle with Dean matching him stride for stride. Behind them, John could hear the screams of his other men. Stopping he turned and saw James being overcome by the black smoke. Ignoring Dean's outstretched hands, John ran back to James, but when John reached him, James stood up and his eyes were black. James reached for John's throat when shots range out. Dean had shot James down. John fell to the ground stunned. Dean pulled John up and forced him to move. The two men ran when the Dean fell to the ground. John stopped to look back at his friend. The black smoke was entering Dean's body. John pulled his gun, but could bring himself to shoot his friend. Aiming at Dean, John suddenly felt tears form in his eyes. All of his men were dead or possessed and now he was aiming a gun at his best friend. Suddenly, Dean's green eyes rolled back and he looked at John with pleading eyes.

"You've got to shoot me, John" said Dean in his most pleading voice. "I can't hold it much longer."

John reaimed his pistol, but could not bring himself to shoot his best friend. Dean was rolling over in pain. He was fighting with whatever was possessing him, but he was slowly losing the battle.

"I can't fight it for much longer, Johnny." screamed Dean. "You have to kill me."

John took careful aim of his gun and shot Dean through the head. Black smoke streamed from his body. Filled with rage, John went after his other men and killed them as well. He was looking for the girl, but she was gone. In the end, the black smoke streamed back into the jungle. John was left surrounded by the dead bodies of his men. He sat down and wept. This was something that John would never forgive himself for. As the tears streamed, John heard clapping. Grabbing his gun, he turned around. It was Hathaway clapping and his eyes were glowing yellow. Taking aim, John shot him in the head, but the bullet was merely absorbed into Hathaway's system. Hathaway looked at John somewhat nonplussed.

"John," said Hathaway quietly. "You know better than to take a shot at your commanding officer."

John dropped to his knees next to Dean's body. He looked up at Hathaway in rage. "Why?"

"Johnny boy," said Hathaway looking amused. "I've been looking for a worthy adversary for years." "Why else would I send so many men into this part of the jungle?" Eerily enough, Hathaway's smile grew bigger as he looked at John. "It looks like I found him."


	4. Chapter 4

_5 pm_

With a gun at his back, John Winchester walked deeper into jungle. He was barely conscious of what was happening to him. Taking stock, John assessed his situation. His men were dead. His commanding officer is some sort of demon and the possibility of seeing Mary and the baby were pretty slim. Even worse, his best friend was dead, killed by his own hand. He would never forgive himself for what happen to Dean. His best friend deserved a better fate. Feeling his anger build, John was determined to find his way out of the situation. Behind him, he could hear Hathaway chuckling.

"Your anger comes off of you in waves." said an amused Hathaway. "That's good."

"What the hell you do want from me?" snapped an angry John.

Hathaway now laughed openly. "I told you I was looking for a worthy adversary."

John stopped still. He was not going to move anymore. If Hathaway was going to kill him, he had better go ahead and do it here. John Winchester was not about to be set up for some battle he had no chance of winning. He turned and faced Hathaway with a face that was resolute.

"Go ahead and kill me." said John. "I'm not going to let you use me."

Hathaway's amusement turned to anger. His eyes glowed yellow. He pointed the gun at John and gestured for him to move.

"Move it, Winchester" snarled Hathaway "or you are a dead man."

It was John's turn to laugh and he did so loudly. "You're going to kill me anyway, so why not do it here?"

For a moment, time seemed to stop. Hathaway simply stared at John without any emotion. Then before John could react, Hathaway charged him. The men tussled on the ground with John getting the upper hand and shoving his knife into Hathaway's body.

Hathaway started laughing.

"Common weapons can't kill me Johnny" said Hathaway. "Haven't you figured that out by now?"

Pulling the knife from his body, Hathaway looked at it with amusement and threw it away. John watched him warily. Hathaway was right; he could not be killed by conventional weapons. Despite all of his training as a Marine, John was not prepared to take on a demon. He was going to have to think his way through it. Getting up, he looked at Hathaway. How the hell do you kill a demon?

As he and Hathaway circled each other, it suddenly occurred to John that if there was evil in the world, then there had to be good. John was never a religious person, although he was raised Catholic. His parents forced him to go to Sunday school and John remembered several prayers that he learned from the nuns, including a prayer of protection against demons. John had always laughed his way through it never taking them seriously. Who, thought John grimly, that he was getting trained to deal with a situation like this?

Remembering his prayer of protection, John began to recite it. Upon hearing it, Hathaway began to recoil, then sneer at John. Finally, the black smoke began to leave Hathaway's body. Hathaway managed to stop shaking and then fixated on John.

"This isn't over Winchester" sneered John "I'm coming after you and your family."

John picked up his gun and aimed it at Hathaway's head. "You're not touching my family."

Hathaway laughed as his face began to contort. "Your wife and your boys will be in hell, and I'll leave you alive to suffer."

John took careful aim and shot Hathaway through the head. This time, the black smoke left Hathaway's body and went back into the forest. Looking at the body of his former commanding officer, John knew that this was the beginning of something much bigger than himself. He still didn't know what the demon meant by worthy adversary, but he knew that he would have to guard himself and his family from whatever was to come.


	5. Chapter 5

_Three Weeks Later_

_Saigon_

John Winchester sat in a rickshaw quietly as the driver steered him carefully through traffic. The war was going to end in less than a week and John was going to be on one of the last helicopters out of the country. He was thrilled to be going home alive, although he was still in shock over the deaths of his men. John knew that he was going to have to overcome his shock if he was going to be prepared for the battle to come. After the massacre at Xuan-Loc, John returned to camp and was sent to Saigon to give his statement about what happened. John expected to be court martialed and imprisoned. Instead, he was honorably discharged. Although he protested, it was made clear to him that no one wanted to hear his story.

Perhaps the worst evil of all, John thought, was ignoring that evil existed.

The rickshaw came to a halt in front of an apartment building that looked like it was falling down. Paying the driver, John jumped out of the rickshaw and stood in front of the building. Looking back at his address, John bit his lip and nearly considered climbing back on the rickshaw, but he owed this much to Dean.

Walking into the building, John climbed the stairs to the apartment. The apartment building smelled as though everything was rotting and John cringed at the idea that anyone actually lived here. Walking down the hall, John held his breath to deal with the stench of urine and cooking oil. He arrived in front of the door to the apartment and stood still. John hesitated to knock. He could not help but feel uncomfortable. Unbeknownst to him, Dean had a secret life that included a girlfriend and newborn baby. John was still in shock about that.

John found out about Dean's family when he asked his commanding officer in Saigon about taking back Dean's body to Kansas. Unlike John, Dean didn't have any family, so John took it upon himself to provide his best friend with a proper burial. The commanding officer took John aside and told him about Dean's Vietnamese girlfriend and baby. Hearing that story actually explained a lot about Dean's behavior prior to Xuan-Loc. At camp, Dean spent a great deal of time trying to learn Vietnamese and asked Vietnamese allies helping US soldiers to transcribe letters for him. When John asked what Dean was doing, Dean was purposely evasive.

Then one night, after mail call, John found Dean sitting in shock with a half-empty bottle of tequila. When John asked Dean what was wrong, Dean didn't respond, but spent the night reading a letter written in Vietnamese. John suspected that Dean had a Vietnamese lover, most servicemen did. These women did more than provide companionship; for many servicemen, these women eventually became mothers and wives to soldiers who failed to find love at home or who were looking for gentle submissive wives. John knew that Dean was not looking for either and had hoped to find some beautiful blond girl at home. The commanding officer in Saigon gave John a copy of Dean's letter translated into English. The letter was from Dean's girlfriend, and apparently, Dean was going to become a father.

Christ, John remembered thinking, no wonder Dean was so upset that night. Dean has suffered through a rough childhood with a demanding and somewhat abusive father. As a result, Dean never thought of having children himself. The idea, Dean told John, absolutely terrified him. Still, the commanding officer told John that Dean had requested to bring his girlfriend and their child to the states. Dean's death had put a halt to that and the girl and baby had ended up outcasts regulated to the edges of Vietnamese society. John begged for the girl's address and went to see her. He wasn't sure if there was anything he could do for the girl or the baby, but he was determined to try.

John finally summoned up the courage and knocked on the door. All that responded was silence and for a moment, he thought he had missed her. Then, John heard a soft shuffling and a crack of the opened door revealed one brown eye staring at him. For a moment, John was taken aback. He did not know how to respond to this girl and did not think to bring an interpreter. Still, the girl continued to stare at him, so John knew that he needed to say something.

"Hi," began John awkwardly, "I'm a friend of Dean's."

With that, the door opened and the girl stood there staring at John. Very softly and with accented English, she spoke. "You're John?"

Again, John was surprised. The girl noticed and smiled. "Dean talked about you a lot." With that, she gestured for John to go inside. Walking into the apartment, John felt immediately depressed. The apartment was dark with barely any light filtering through it. The furniture was old and looked as though it could barely support anything. Listening, he could hear the sound of the baby gurgling. John gritted his teeth. Dean would have hated this. John needed to get Dean's family out of here.

"You came here to help us?" asked the girl. John swung around and looked at her. Even in the dim light, he could see why Dean was so smitten. She was beautiful in an angelic way with dark eyes that were olive-shaped and plump full lips. She was looking at John with a face, which was tinged with sadness.

"How is your English so good?" he asked.

She looked embarrassed. "I studied English for Dean."

For a moment, the two looked at each other uncomfortably dancing around the issue of why John was there. John knew he was there more to satisfy his curiosity since the likelihood he could offer any real help to this woman was slim. The girl knew that John could not help her, but was curious to meet some of Dean's friends.

It was awkward.

Finally, John broke the silence by asking "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

The girl wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head. "No, the army is leaving." She looked at John with tears forming in her eyes. "There is nothing you can do for me."

John felt helpless. Again, he was letting Dean down and Dean's girl and baby were going to suffer for it. John moved to hug the girl, but she backed away. The two of them stared at each other until John broke the silence.

"Can I see the baby?" he asked.

The girl seemed relieved by his question and gestured toward the bedroom where the baby was lying in the crib. John was happy to see that this room had more light and a fan that was circulating a small breeze lifting the smells that permeated the rest of the apartment. Walking into the room, John went over to the crib and stared down at the baby. It was a girl with dark hair and Dean's green eyes. She was going to grow into a beauty like her mother. John felt tears sting his eyes. Dean would never know his daughter and John was sure that Dean would have fallen in love with her. Suddenly, John smiled through his tears. It was pretty ironic, he thought, that Dean would have a daughter. Dean the womanizer, thought John, who would have to protect his little girl from guys just like him. Life, thought John, had a way of coming full circle.

Turning, he saw that Dean's girl was standing there watching him. He smiled at her and said. "Your daughter is beautiful." "Dean would have been proud of her."

It was the girl's turn to cry. "I know." she responded.

"Please," pleaded John. "There has to be something I can do right now to help you."

Again, the girl shook her head at him. "No," she said softly coming over to the crib where he still stood. "I know there is nothing you can do." "Besides," she added. "I have help."

John looked surprised. Considering the conditions of the apartment, he wondered what help she was receiving. At that moment, John heard a movement behind him and turned. What he saw made him physically ill. It was the little girl he saw at Xuan-Loc. Looking at Dean's girl, he asked hoarsely, "How do you know her?"

The girl smiled. "After Dean died, my family threw me and the baby out." She nodded toward the little girl, who was staring at John with a smirk on her face, "She found me in an alley and brought me here."

Grabbing the girl's arm, John pulled her close and whispered in her ear. "That girl is a demon." Before he could say anything else, he found himself thrown back against the wall. The girl screamed in horror and grabbed the baby from the crib. The baby, who had been happily gurgling, was now screaming along with her mother. While John watched, the little girl balled up her fist and Dean's girl and baby both began choking. John tried to cry out and tried to move, but a force was holding him to the wall. Finally, Dean's girl and the baby collapsed on the floor and stop moving. The little girl walked over to their bodies and kicked both to make sure that they were not really moving. Then she walked over to John who was still held on the wall. As she approached John, her eyes moved from black to yellow.

"Son-of-a-bitch." said John out loud.

The girl grinned again and in perfect English said, "You really are the perfect adversary, John."

"For what!" John screamed. "What do you want from me?"

The girl cackled. "You're smart, resourceful and tough." "You're sons will be too."

That stopped John. Hathaway had mentioned John's sons. "What do my sons have to do with this?"

"Everything." the girl whispered. "Your son will lead an army of demons to destroy mankind."

John again tried to move, but was still frozen to the wall. Glaring at the girl, he snapped. "My son will never be a part of your army."

The girl laughed again. "He will." said the girl. "You will have no other choice but to kill him."

With that, the girl vanished. John collapsed to the floor and for a moment, he remained immobile. He had failed again. He had failed to save Dean and his men. He had failed to save Dean's girl and baby and for some reason, he inwardly knew that he would be unable to protect Mary and his kids from whatever was to come. Still, thought John as he forced himself up, he had to try and if nothing else, he could teach his boys to keep on fighting the battle after he was gone.

Walking over, he checked on the girl and the baby. They were dead. John let tears slip out. Gently, he shut their eyes. Getting up, John left the apartment. Surprisingly, no one came out into the hallway to see what was going on. Then John realized that the war had caused people to turn away from their neighbors. Besides, he thought angrily, who would care about a poor girl and her baby, especially since that baby was the product of a US serviceman. Still, John left the area as fast as he could and three days later he was on a plane to Kansas.


	6. Chapter 6

_Three months later_

_Lawrence, Kansas_

_St. Mary's Hospital_

John Winchester ran through the hospital at full speed. He was finalizing the paperwork on the ownership of his new garage when he received a phone call telling him that Mary had gone into labor. John nearly knocked over three nurses just trying to get to the maternity ward. He had not been this happy since he found out about Mary's pregnancy back in Vietnam.

John got to the maternity ward and stopped at the nurses' station. The nurses, having seen their share of frantic fathers before, quietly ignored John until he began waving his arms to get their attention. The nurses, John noticed, were laughing at him.

"Yes?" asked a nurse with dark green eyes who was barely containing her amusement.

"Mary Winchester?" responded John who was not amused.

"Mrs. Winchester is in the delivery room," replied the green-eyed nurse. "You'll just have to wait." With that, she gestured John toward a waiting room where he could see at least five other fathers frantically pacing. John did not want to wait; he wanted to be there when his son was born.

"I'm John Winchester.," said John to the nurse who was now taking time to ignore him.

She looked up at him without amusement this time and pointed her pen directly at him.

"Sir" said the nurse using her pen to emphasize each word. "Fathers are to wait in _that _room; now please take your seat."

Reluctantly, John took his seat and watched as the other fathers were pacing and taking turns using the pay phone. He wanted to call his mother and sister, but decided to wait until the baby was born. Sitting there, John tried to control his breathing and often closed his eyes, but all he saw when he closed his eyes was the yellow-eyed demon. The demon alternated its appearance in John's nightly dreams between the little girl, Hathaway, Dean and often shockingly Mary. John had not had a good night's sleep since Xuan-Loc and he seriously doubted that he ever would again. Opening his eyes, John reached into his coat pocket and grabbed the ownership papers to his new garage. John was excited to be the owner of his own business, the garage, he knew, would provide Mary, and their baby would all the comforts they would ever need. John was also looking at a house in the suburb of Lawrence to buy for their family. Closing the papers, John put them back in his coat pocket and settled in to wait.

Nearly, five hours later, he was still waiting and now was frantically pacing like the other fathers. Christ, he thought, how long did it take to have a baby?

"Winchester!" called out a voice and John turned to see the green-eyed nurse genuinely smiling at him. Walking over to her, John could feel his heart pounding out of his chest. Please, he thought, I usually do not pray, but please God, let my wife and baby be all right.

"Yes?" said John anxiously.

"Congratulations," said the nurse. "You are the proud father of a baby boy."

Although John knew that the baby was a boy, he was still in shock over it. The other waiting fathers walked over and patted John on the shoulders to congratulate him. John looked at the nurse.

"Is Mary alright?" asked John.

"Your wife is fine," said the nurse. "We have brought her down from the delivery room to her room, and she is waiting for you."

Finding his feet, John moved and followed the nurse down the hallway to Mary's room. In front of the door, John paused. He had been waiting for the last three months for the baby to be born and in doing so, he hide his nightmares from Mary. He wanted this moment to be perfect. Saying another quick prayer, John walked into the room.

Upon seeing Mary, John figured that God must have answered his prayers. The room was awash in light and Mary was sitting up on the baby holding the baby. She was glowing and the baby was making cooing sounds and reaching for his mother's face. Looking up, Mary saw John and grinned happily. Walking over, John leaned in and kissed Mary. He did not want that kiss to end. When they did part, Mary smiled and looked down at their baby.

"He's so beautiful," said Mary softly. "He has the most amazing green eyes."

"Like his mom," whispered John.

Mary smiled at John and held out the baby to him. "Do you want to hold your son?"

John hesitated. He had never held a baby in his life. Still, his paternal instinct overtook his fear and he allowed Mary to place the baby into his arms. At that moment, for only the second time in his life, John Winchester fell in love. The baby looked at him and as he did with his mother, the baby reached for John's face. Feeling those tiny hands touching his bare skin, John nearly cried. Mary sat there watching him grinning.

"You're in love with him too, eh?" said Mary with a smile.

John just managed to look up at her and smile back. Strolling around the bed, John walked to the window and held his son up so the boy could see outside.

"There's the world, son," whispered John to the baby. "It's a big place, but I'll make sure that you're always protected."

Turning back to Mary, he asked, "What should we name him?"

Mary smiled as she answered. "I've been thinking. We should name him Dean, Dean Winchester." She cocked her head to one side and looked at John. "I think it's appropriate, don't you?"

John felt the tears fall freely now. His best friend would live on in his son. "Yeah," he said softly. "I think it's appropriate."

For the next two hours, John and Mary spent time with their baby, planning his future. John wanted his son to join the Marines and then go to college. Mary did not want her son anywhere near the armed forces, but agreed that Dean should definitely attend college. Both wanted to start a college fund for their son and provide him with a sibling someday. John wanted another boy, but Mary wanted a girl, and the two tussled with the idea as Mary wanted a daughter and John wanted to avoid having to protect his little girl from bad boys. John and Mary laughed and joked until the nurse came in and told them that visiting hours were up. John kissed his wife and his baby and left the hospital feeling like Gene Kelly in _Singing in the Rain_. If he could have, he would have danced his way to his car. Instead, he walked out of the maternity ward with a grin that would not quit.

Pulling out his keys, John began to whistle as he walked toward the 1967 Impala, a car he lovingly restored prior to his last deployment. Looking at the car, John realized that it could be a gift for his son, Dean when the boy grew up. He heard a voice and turned. It was the green-eyed nurse who had given John a hard time when he first arrived at the hospital. At this moment, John felt nothing but love for the woman who told him that his son was born. Running up, the nurse smiled and handed John a pendant. John turned it over in his hand. He did not recognize it, but it appeared to be some sort of amulet. He looked at the nurse and when he did so, he dropped the amulet.

The nurse's green eyes were black.

Looking at John disgusted, she bent over and picked up the amulet and handed it back to John. He refused to take it. Shaking John walked over to the trunk of the Impala and opened it. Pulling out a sawed-off shotgun, he aimed it squarely at the nurse. The demon merely shook her head disgusted.

"You don't need that gun, Winchester," she said. "I'm here to help you.

Not lowering his gun, John stood his ground. He would kill this woman if it meant that protecting Mary and Dean. Pulling the trigger, the blast knocked John back and threw the demon to the ground, but instead of dying, she merely lifted her head and looked at John pissed.

"That was rude," she remarked, getting up off the ground and looking at her outfit. "I just cleaned this."

John cocked the gun, emptying the shell and loading another one. He realized that it was useless, but it was worth a try. The nurse looked disgusted.

"I'm here to help you," she said slowly enunciating each word. "Can you get that through your thick Cro-Magnon skull?"

John stood there wearily. "Why do you want to help me?" he asked.

"Because I need an ally for the coming war," she explained. "And you are the strongest one I can find."

"Me?" said John, who was now lowering his weapon. "Why me?"

"You took out the Yellow-Eyed demon in Vietnam." she replied. "No man has ever done that before."

John felt confused. "Who are you?"

The nurse actually smiled and tossed her long blonde hair. "My name is Ruby." "I was a witch during the Middle Ages and I gave up my soul for more power." Ruby put her hand on her hips and shook her head. "Boy, was that a dumb decision."

John turned and put his gun back in his trunk. As he did so, Ruby's eyes changed from black to green as they did so, she palmed the amulet and took two more out of her pocket. With one movement, she tossed them to John

"Wear this and give the other two to your family," she told him. "It will protect you from being possessed."

Turning she started back to the hospital. John called after her. "Why are you helping me?"

Ruby stopped and looked at John. "I haven't forgotten what it means to be human." "Believe me," she said with a shrug. "Sometimes, with the things I've seen in the pit, I wish I had."

Turning again, Ruby stopped and looked at John. "I can promise you that I will do my best to help you look after your family." With that, she walked back to the hospital. John had to wonder how she was going to explain the blood spatter on his clothes, but then an ambulance pulled up.

Let it to a demon, John thought, to have things worked out in advance.

John knew logically that he should not trust a demon, but his instincts told him that Ruby was on the level. Walking to the door of the Impala, he opened it and sat inside. He had hoped that what happened in Vietnam would stay there, but apparently, the war had followed him home.

Turning on the engine, John felt himself smile as the Impala roared to life. Putting the car in reverse, John drove home. That night, he did not dream of the Yellow-Eyed demon, but of Mary and Dean. The next morning, John picked up his family from the hospital. As he was leaving, he saw Ruby waving to him. John nodded to her and drove his family home. That night as he and Mary put Dean to bed, John watched his son's sleeping face and realized that he needed to enjoy this, for this would be the last time he would experience peace for a long time.

_**Note:**__ Thanks to all those who have read and commented on this story. I hope that you enjoy the ending!_


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